Chincoteague Island, Virginia

Chincoteague

While wandering around my hard drives hunting for a duck image, I came across a folder
of images from a training session on Chincoteague Island, Virginia. I realized that except for
one image (Great Egret Flip), only a few of these shots had been used in a temporary display
for a couple of weeks after the session ended. Most of them had never been seen or used at all.

Well... we can’t have that, can we?

I compiled a group of 50 images and composites for this page.
I hope you enjoy this belated visit to Chincoteague Island, Virginia.

PaulFrye_HS2258

This page is dedicated to my friend

Paul Frye (1948-2008)

click an image to open a larger version
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Composites will open in a second window.

Black Crowned Night Heron 3469

Black Skimmer 4191

Black Skimmers 4002

Black Skimmer 3976

Black Skimmer 4011

It’s amazing to watch the Skimmers
glide a couple of inches over the water,
their wingtips touching the water on the
downstroke to keep their beak in line.

Black Skimmer 4351

They do this when a fish hits their
beak but they miss the catch.

Black Skimmer 3676

Shooting these guys at sunset (or sunrise)
can be extremely difficult. If you have the sun
at your back (as in these shots) and you try to
hold the highlight on the light feathers, the head
will be so dark that you can’t see the eye. Shots
like that are often passed over in selections.

Black Skimmer 3677

After having discarded a number of shots
due to the head being too dark, I decided to
allow the highlight on the body to overexpose a
bit more than it does to the eye. This results
in the head and eye being well-defined.
Overall, a better result in my opinion.

Black Skimmers 3616

Black Skimmer SXXL

click for 1500 x 947 version

Available as an SXXL Signed Composite (6460 x 4080)

Dew on Spiderweb 3338

Eastern Kingbird 2112

This Kingbird was actually shot in
the Catskills before I came south to
Washington DC and Chincoteague.

Eastern Kingbird 2184

Rather than bury this cute bird in
the Assorted Birds page, I thought
I’d put him here where he’s featured.

Eastern Kingbird 2190

A classic pose...don’t you think?
This fellow really went after the bugs.

Eastern Kingbird 2196

I took a vignette approach to this shot
of our little guy after catching a bug.

Snowy Egret Juvenile 3240

Note the difference in the legs and bill.

Snowy Egret Strut 4379

Groucho would have been proud...

Great Egret Hunting 3767

A sunset and dusk fishing session. This Great Egret was an accomplished hunter.
He caught about 50 little Silversides while I was watching and shooting him.

Great Egret Hunting 4139

Great Egret Hunting 4160

Great Egret Hunting 4120

Long-beaked birds like the Great Egret look so comical head-on...

Great Egret Hunting 4122

Great Egret Hunting 4137

Great Egret Flip 4156

This shot started something that folks called “The Reznick Flip”.
The Egrets and Herons often flip the fish up in the air and strike forward
to catch them in their gullet. It’s a tricky timing shot, because the fish is in the
air for only about 1/2 second. Most birds telegraph the action in some consistent
manner, and if you watch them you can catch their “tell” and prepare for the flip.